TORCHBEARER

Just a little history to refresh our memory, pointing to the swiftness of the military to take over power at the slightness sign of misrule, corruption and insecurity in the country, I am drawing your attention to the “Maximum Tolerance Quotient” of our soldiers before they come to the rescue of the people.

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the first elected Prime Minister, the first Republic under a British parliamentary system, He had only governed for five years (actually) 1960-Jan 1966 when “junior officers of the Nigerian army, mostly majors overthrew the government in a coup d’état.” Why did they take over?

1. To institute a strong and efficient government committed to a progressive agenda and eventually to new elections. 

2. To stop the post-electoral violence and stamp out corruption that they said was ubiquitous in the civilian administration.

General Johnson T. Aguiyi-Ironsi; 1966 (August 1): Lt. Col Yakubu Gowon (promise to return power to a democratically elected government in 1976); 1975 (October): Brigadier (later General) Murtala Mohammed (promised a 1979 restoration of democracy); 1976 (February 14): General Olusegun Obasanjo, all stepped in to restore order.

1979 (October 1)  Mission accomplished “General Obasanjo handed over to Alhaji Shehu Shagari as first elected executive President and the first politician to govern Nigeria since 1966.

But alas! After about five years again in 1983 Dec.31, following a coup d’état, for obviously the same reasons as before or maybe a little more such as “accusations of callousness and overzealousness”, the military returned to power.  Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, (who ruled for two years); 1985 Aug. 27 The army chief, General Ibrahim Babangida were named heads of state. In 1993 Aug. 26, Babangida, after ruling for eight years, grudgingly “stepped aside” and appointed an interim government headed by Chief Ernest A. Shonekan. And while Shonekan was still dusting his chair, 1993 Nov. 17 General Sani Abacha, defence minister, seized power, abolishes the constitution. Five years later 1998 (June 8): General Abacha died suddenly and mysteriously.

1998 (June 9): Gen. Abdul salaam Abubakar was named Nigeria's eighth military ruler. He promised to restore civilian rule promptly. Abubakar relinquished power on May 29, 1999 to former military ruler Olusegun Obasanjo “winner” of the 1999 Feb.15 presidential election, the standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 

In the 30 years of military rule we can point to the good and the bad of their administrations, and indeed their interventions at the time were justified and based on clear cases of corruption, insecurity and obvious threats to the wellbeing of the people, and all were as a result of the cries of the people coming into their ears. And in fairness to the military, apart from Abacha’s regime, I think they did averagely well, but not so much could be said of the civilian governments that we have had in this country, though as highhanded and forceful as their style may seem, they have accomplished more than we can ascribe to their civilian alternative. And I dare to say that if General Abdul salaam was the Head of state till date, (that is if he wasn’t overthrown) things wouldn’t be this bad. People who say that the worst democracy is better than the best of military rule should be having a rethink right now!

PDP has plunged this nation and the people into despair, misery, desolation and hopelessness over the past 12 years. The trademark of their stewardship is the auction of the nation’s assets and people to private and foreign investors! The telltale signs of their leadership are myopia, perplexity, woe and wretchedness! PDP has afflicted and plagued this nation with endemic corruption and terminal poverty! Their strategy to simulate compassion for the people is the phony programs they run. I call these programs e.g. ‘sure-p’, ’youwin’ etc  “turning of the waters” because the  beneficiaries are usually an insignificant and always selected few; obviously their party members. Who are they fooling?

The atrocities committed by PDP are exceedingly greater than those of the past military and civilian administrations put together, it is in fact exponential and with such infuriating impunity.

Personally, going by antecedence, I think the military have be silent for too long, and this of course brings to mind all the moves of General Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999, when he came to power; retiring top military officers, having meetings with the military in and outside the country, etc, then we believed it was all in good faith to secure our nascent democracy, but now our doubts and suspicions are being aroused. “Nigerian Armed Forces, I put this question to you, have you been bought by PDP?” don’t answer now, as events unfold, we shall all know your take. If in the midst of all these crises, PDP wins the presidential elections in 2015, that is, if any election will hold, and there is no military intervention, then all Nigerians and indeed the whole world will know that this is one massive and colossal scam in complicity with the Nigerian military!

Because your Maximum Tolerance Quotient is five (5) years!